IPL 2019: Match 40, RR vs DC – Delhi Capitals Player Ratings

Cricket can be a harsh game at times. A brilliant nonchalant century by Ajinkya Rahane was overshadowed by the mighty brute force of Rishabh Pant in Jaipur. It is not an everyday story to see your side end up on a losing note despite having scored a brilliant ton in the game. It was the case for the former Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane when RR hosted the Delhi Capitals in Jaipur recently. Rahane played excellently well to help his side post a total of 191, but the bowlers failed to defend the total for the hosts.

Such has been the plight for the Royals this season in the IPL. They succumbed to yet another defeat. On the other hand, the Delhi Capitals registered yet another win this season to inch closer to the playoffs’ berth that has been eluding them for quite a while now. In this particular game, it was Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 78 that guided DC to a 6-wicket win. The foundation of the run chase was laid by Shikhar Dhawan, who scored a quick 54, and Prithvi Shaw, who played a patient knock of 42.

Earlier in the game, DC had won the toss and opted to field first. The Royals lost Sanju Samson at a stage when he had not even faced a delivery – a diamond duck! Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane – the two batters who were under the scrutiny of being misfits in T20 cricket, played with flair and aggression to keep the Royals in command of the innings. Smith perished for 50, and Rahane went on to score his second IPL ton as Royals piled up 191/6 in their 20 overs. Alas! It was just not enough for them on the day. The Delhi Capitals have stormed to the top of the points table with this win.

Here are the DC Player Ratings for the match:

Shikhar Dhawan – 9/10

Shikhar Dhawan has struck sublime form just at the right time for the Delhi Capitals. With the business end of the tournament coming close, the management wants Dhawan to provide solid consistent starts at the top order. The stylish southpaw has been managing to do so. In this game, he took the RR bowlers by surprise and hit a magnificent 54 in 27 balls at a strike rate of 200. He hit 8 fours and 2 sixes in his innings.

Prithvi Shaw – 7/10

A good innings was long due to come from the willow of Prithvi Shaw. The talented youngster had slammed 99 in one of the earlier games this season. Since then, he had largely underperformed and was under some pressure to get going. He played cautiously in this game for his 39-ball 42 with four fours and a six. However, he did not look his fluent best with the bat.

Shreyas Iyer – 2/10

The DC skipper Shreyas Iyer had one of the rare failures with the bat in this particular game. Iyer, who has been getting runs consistently for his side this season, failed to get going in Jaipur. He could only score 4 runs off the 5 balls that he faced before getting dismissed by Riyan Parag. Also, after a very long time, he looked wanting for options during the RR innings and struggled with the captaincy hat on.

Rishabh Pant – 9.5/10

Rishabh Pant proved to be the difference between the two sides in this match. While Royals had a fluent charmer in Rahane guiding them through, it was Pant for DC who took his side home with unorthodox and brash strikes. Pant was absolutely brutal in the run chase as he hit a quick unbeaten 78 off just 36 balls with 6 fours and four boundaries to his name. He is certainly putting up his hand for the backups and reserves in store for the World Cup squad.

Sherfane Rutherford – 3/10

Sherfane Rutherford is known for his big hitting ability. In this match, he managed to hit his first IPL six. He played out just 5 deliveries to score 11 before getting dismissed in the 18th over. It was a rush of blood and the urge to hit another big one that cost him his wicket. With the ball in hand, he bowled just one over and conceded 16 runs.

Colin Ingram – 5/10

Colin Ingram did not have a big role to play with the bat in the match. He arrived at the crease in the penultimate over with a handful of runs needed by DC for the win. He stayed unbeaten on 3 as Rishabh Pant finished things off in style at the other end to seal the game for the Capitals.

Chris Morris – 3/10

As many cricket pundits have already pointed out, Chris Morris has failed to live up to the expectations of the DC team management this season. He has not clicked to the best of his abilities thus far. Morris was taken away for 41 runs in his four overs. Luckily for the South African all-rounder, he managed to pick up a wicket of Ben Stokes, that saved his figures to some extent. He did not get an opportunity to bat.

Axar Patel – 5/10

Axar Patel has been bowling decently well for the Capitals this season. However, the last couple of outings have been quite expensive for him. He was not at his economical best in this game either, as he conceded 39 runs in his spell of four overs. He picked up the big wicket Steve Smith to break the marathon 130-run second wicket partnership of the Royals.

Amit Mishra – 3/10

Amit Mishra was the senior spinner in the team. With no Sandeep Lamichhane in the lineup, Mishra was the lone leg spinner and had quite some responsibility on his shoulder. He bowled three overs and looked quite ineffective. The RR batters negotiated him with ease and took him away for 28 runs, giving away no wicket whatsoever.

Kagiso Rabada – 6/10

Kagiso Rabada had a tough day with the ball as he was also taken away for a lot of runs in the match. Rabada, who is usually very economical, ended up giving away 37 runs in his spell. But the Proteas spearhead accounted for two wickets towards the end of RR innings. Earlier in the match, he showed great athleticism to run out Sanju Samson in the match.

Ishant Sharma – 6/10

Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has been very impressive with the new ball this season. He bowled a couple of overs with the new ball and conceded just about 6 runs per over. Later, with the old ball in hand, he still managed to keep a check on the run flow and finished with eventual figures of 1/29 in his four overs. He accounted for the wicket of Ashton Turner in the match.

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